One thing not everyone may know about me is that I am deeply reflective. Read: I think… nonstop. The end of the year is often when I reflect the most, taking stock of what I’ve learned, how I’ve grown, and where I’ve struggled. This year, being full of lessons, challenges, and growth, has given me plenty to think about. As I look back on the first quarter of 2024, I’m reminded that transitions and adaptability weren’t just themes—they were necessities. Here’s what those months taught me.
January: Emotions shape resilience.
On January 24th, I returned to work after maternity leave—delayed by my twins’ RSV hospitalization in December. The transition brought nerves from all sides. At home, I felt the weight of leaving my babies after such a scary time. At work, I faced a reorganization that had dissolved the team I once led, returning me to my former role as an Executive Trainer.
Excitement carried me into the office, eager to reconnect with my professional self, but emotions ran high. By 4:00 on my first day, I was in tears during a 1:1 with a close friend, and many commutes home were spent crying in my car, processing the overwhelm. Still, my optimism helped me persevere. When emotions align with purpose, they become a source of resilience, carrying you through even the toughest transitions.
February: Tradition doesn’t have to make sense.
My sister and I take four sister days each year—one for every season. This winter’s was a perfect way to celebrate one of my favorite things: Leap Day! We wore ridiculous sweatshirts inspired by my comfort show, 30 Rock, that were totally outside our usual fashion sense. It almost felt like we were in costume, which meant we giggled about it all day. Per usual for a sister day, we went to a Mexican restaurant and shared some queso and margaritas while trying not to cry laugh when we noticed people noticing us.
Maybe the loudest thing about me right now is that I am a working mom of three. I feel like I say it or think it constantly, but hey – it’s pretty damn all-consuming, so you’ll forgive me. In this “season,” it can feel impossible to take a day off that I don’t absolutely need. With three kids in daycare, there are already so many sick days to juggle. But tradition is worth protecting. These days give us a chance to connect, uninterrupted, and do whatever we feel like—whether it’s running errands, making an elaborate cheesecake, or laughing over queso. It’s always time well spent.
March: What was isn’t what is.
Returning to a familiar-yet-changed business area was disorienting, to say the least. I had only been away for a year, but reorganization after reorganization meant almost nothing and no one were as I had left them. It felt like I was in the Upside-Down version of my job—just without the slimy monsters and with better lighting.
My personal life had undergone massive changes, but so had everyone else’s. I’m only the main character in my own life; everyone I worked with had likely faced their own struggles, shifts, and challenges that shaped them over the past year. Relationships were different, the people I leaned on at work had shifted, and dynamics I’d once relied on no longer felt the same. Even my own goals and definition of success had changed, yet two months in, I still couldn’t fully define them.
I had excelled as a trainer for years, but this new environment felt foreign. My new leader valued very different things than my previous leaders, and processes that had always worked for me suddenly didn’t. Adapting hasn’t been easy, and I still have moments where I feel out of place. But I’m proud of the work I’ve put in to build culture on my team and to lead from where I am, even without a formal leadership title. This year has tested my agility and adaptability, and though I miss the leadership role I once held, I’ve grown in ways I didn’t foresee.
Closing Thoughts: Finding Strength in Transition
The first quarter of 2024 was a lesson in navigating transitions with resilience and adaptability. It was a period of emotional highs and lows, of rediscovering myself at work and at home, and of leaning into traditions that remind me of who I am.
Stay tuned for lessons learned in Q2, Q3, and Q4—each quarter brought its own unique challenges, reflections, and growth that I can’t wait to share!
DEEP ROOTS | FULL BLOOM 